Tornado Sword Arts

Yu Chen stepped into the grand Sect Library with a calm expression. Inside his ring, the sword rested securely—just in case. He unfurled the Sect Map and located the library's central node, then walked toward the towering double doors.

The scent of aged scrolls and spiritual ink filled the air. He showed the permission slip granted by Mai Lin to the elder at the desk, who gave a polite nod, acknowledging him as an inner disciple.

Without speaking, Yu Chen ascended the staircase to the second floor. The shelves here were overflowing with cultivation techniques, manuals, and martial arts doctrines.

He reached into his system and quietly activated the [Uncommon Tier Shop Memory: 100GB]. Then, one by one, he began scanning the books—not reading, not flipping through, just scanning them with the system's auto-capture lens.

Nearby disciples noticed his strange behavior.

"Hey, look at that guy," one whispered. "Isn't it weird how he's just glancing at books and walking away?"

Another scoffed. "Shut up. That's Yu Chen—the Uncommon Talent of our sect. Haven't you heard? He reached Qi Refining Level 1 in just one day. How long did it take you?"

The first guy grumbled in embarrassment.

"They're geniuses," another said, defending Yu Chen. "Some of them just glance at a technique and remember everything. Must be nice."

Yu Chen ignored the murmurs around him. He was too focused. He finished the second floor and moved up to the third, where advanced manuals and higher-tier techniques resided.

But as he stepped onto the third floor, a voice stopped him.

"You there. Do you know you're not allowed on this floor unless you're a Foundation Realm cultivator?"

Yu Chen didn't even acknowledge the man. He walked straight past him, eyes calm, hands behind his back. He found a high shelf, picked a book, and started scanning again.

The man was about to confront him, anger rising, but someone behind him slapped the back of his head.

"Idiot! Look at his robe. He's an inner disciple."

The man froze, eyes widening as he spotted the silver inner-disciple emblem. He stepped back quietly, avoiding further humiliation.

Hours passed. Yu Chen scanned dozens of books. The process was exhausting. It wasn't just about copying data—it was about absorbing the essence, categorizing them within the system, and filtering by quality.

Once done, he returned to a quiet corner of the library and opened his system.

The holographic interface shimmered before him. He filtered the scanned books and began selecting. He wasn't interested in common or balanced techniques—he wanted power and style. Techniques that made people's jaws drop.

After some scrolling, one caught his attention.

[Thunder Sword Arts]

He opened the technique's page.

> "When the sword begins to spark, when the sky turns black,

Thunder will descend, and the blade shall roar."

He blinked. "I don't understand a single word of this."

Still, something about it called to him. He read on, found the movement descriptions, and began mimicking them slowly. First clumsy, then slightly better. The system showed no signs of progress, yet he couldn't stop.

He practiced until sunset. Then another day. Then another.

On the fifth day, his sword made a tiny crack.

A spark. A real one.

It flickered briefly at the tip of his blade, like lightning eager to be born.

He grinned like a child. "Hah… finally."

A familiar voice laughed from behind.

"Hahaha. So you've finally sparked it."

He turned. Mai Lin was standing there, arms crossed, a smile on her lips.

She walked closer and rested her hand gently on his shoulder.

"You know," she said softly, "you're not supposed to even try this technique yet. It requires Aura mastery. That means controlling the energy around you, not just inside you."

Yu Chen tilted his head. "Then… Master, can I get a book on Swordsmanship first?"

She shook her head. "There aren't any real books on Swordsmanship. Not in the way you think. First, you practice basic techniques—until one day, you feel like you've hit a wall. That's when you're ready to learn something like this. Only then will your sword art reach its potential."

"Got it, Master." He gave a small nod.

After she left, he searched again, flipping through technique records until he found one with no aura requirement but high difficulty.

[Tornado Sword Art]

He opened it and read the first page.

> "When there is no hope for strength, and no light of Aura,

Let your sword become the eye of the storm.

Become the tornado. Slash endlessly. Kill endlessly.

Let nothing escape. Let nothing enter."

His eyes widened. "This… is way too powerful for a so-called 'basic' technique."

He studied the moves. Then stood up, held the sword close to his chest, and spun.

He made it three seconds before crashing into a bookshelf.

"Ugh... my head…" The room spun like he was seeing double.

But he didn't give up. He got up, read again, practiced again. Fell again. Again. Again.

Two full days passed like this. He didn't leave the library.

Then—on the second night—Mai Lin found him and grabbed his arm.

"Let's go. We need to attend the inner sect's exclusive auction. I already sent the pills in."

Yu Chen hesitated, eyes still filled with determination. "Master..."

She paused. "What is it?"

He lowered his gaze. "Nothing. Let's go."

She gave a knowing look, then nodded. "Get ready. We need to move fast."

---

Yu Chen put on clean robes. They flew together on her sword, and arrived at the auction hall where only inner sect members and peak elders were allowed.

The auction had already begun.

Item after item passed by—spiritual herbs, rare beast materials, low-tier techniques. Then came the highlight.

Mu Kim entered the stage holding a golden box wrapped in red silk. A solemn hush fell over the audience.

She opened it.

"Three Pure Foundation Pills," she announced, her voice echoing. "Crafted by a High-Rank Alchemist. Starting price: 300,000 Coins."

Instantly:

"500,000!"

"550,000!"

"600,000!"

"700,000!"

Then a voice thundered from above.

"One million."

It was the Cultivation Peak Elder.

Whispers echoed across the chamber.

"One million for pills?!"

"We can buy normal Foundation Pills at 70,000 each!"

"Yeah—and fail your breakthrough like a fool."

"Whoever gets these... they're probably his disciples."

At the Cultivation Peak's private seating, his disciples watched with awe.

Their Master leaned forward. "Those who are stuck at Foundation Realm's bottleneck… if you have 100,000 Coins saved, I'll offer you one pill. It's your chance."

A young man bowed. "Master, I only have 70,000 Coins."

The elder waved his hand. "Borrow it. Steal it. I don't care. Prove yourself."

One particular disciple, dressed in elegant robes and belonging to a noble family, stepped forward.

"I'll take one, Master. I'll return 400,000 Coins."

"Good. Don't waste it."

The disciple returned to his quarters. He shut the door, took out the pill, and sat cross-legged.

"Just one step… one more wall to break. And 150 years of life extension awaits me..."

He popped the pill.

At first, the energy surged gently. Then it grew. Stronger. Deeper. Faster.

The bottleneck he'd fought against for years—began to dissolve.

Crack—

A rush of Qi flooded him. His dantian expanded. His Foundation solidified.

His eyes snapped open.

"I did it. In minutes!"

He shot to his feet, bursting through the door. The hinges shattered. The door fell off its frame.

He blinked. "I'll pay for that later."

Then he ran—straight to his master.

"Master!" he shouted, his face beaming. "I broke through!"

The elder stood up slowly. "Already...? In minutes?"

The disciple nodded, trembling. "The wall... the energy pierced through like a blade. It didn't just help—I felt like it chose me."

The elder's eyes narrowed. "Go. Return to your training."

When the boy left, the Cultivation Peak elder sat in silence.

Then smirked darkly.

"How the hell… she was able to make something like this?"